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Pretoria - The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) should get a medal for its work, an economist on Wednesday told the panel reviewing Gauteng's e-toll system.
Economist Roelof Botha, whom Sanral commissioned to research the impact of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), praised the toll roads and their contribution to the province.
He was effusive in his praise, suggesting the agency ought to "get a medal for what they have done".
"Gauteng is the 'motor province', the economic hub not only of South Africa, but probably of Africa," he told the panel, sitting in Pretoria.
"One of the early benefits of GFIP is that the road commuter pain index has been reduced significantly."
This meant that drivers' frustration and irritation had been "more or less removed... thanks to Sanral".
The improved road network saved people commuting time, which translated into productive time where people could earn more money, or leisure time, which allowed people to get home earlier, leaving them more rested, and more productive for the next day.
Read: E-tolls is an excellent idea, says Botha
Botha argued that if the roads had been funded by government then the freeway upgrade, had it been undertaken at all, would have used money that could have been used for delivering services to the public.
"This government does not have money to build fancy roads, unless people are prepared to pay for that."
The panel was appointed by Gauteng premier David Makhura to examine the GFIP and the electronic tolling system put in place to fund it. It was expected to present its findings to Makhura at the end of the month.
A second economist, Keith Lockwood, submitted that a fuel levy would have a disproportionate cost for the poor, who generally used highways via public transport, which was exempt from e-tolling. This was because public transport costs would go up as the fuel price increased.
Sanral board member Peter Derman, who has a social science background, told the panel that a social impact assessment had not been done for the GFIP.
Based on his previous experience, he "would hazard a guess" that the GFIP would benefit the poor in the long term. Such benefits included townships assuming a more urban character, and job creation.
Sanral was making final presentations to the panel to "clear up misconceptions" about the e-tolling project, which had been met with significant public resistance.
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